North Carolina skiing

[kaguilbeau]

Have any of you gone snow skiing in North Carolina?

I've only been once to Breckenridge and enjoyed the close proximity of shops/restaurants to the lodging. DH liked the closeness of the ski slopes.

I'm thinking of a trip to North Carolina because of the lower elevation. My son had a terrible experience with altitude sickness when he attempted skiing A-Basin (his first time to ski). I know A-basin is extremely high, but I'm not sure just how low in elevation he would have to go to not experience what he had.

Any suggestions for good areas to look that might also offer some shops/restaurants closeby?

Kim

 

[KimIce]

Have any of you gone snow skiing in North Carolina?

I've only been once to Breckenridge and enjoyed the close proximity of shops/restaurants to the lodging. DH liked the closeness of the ski slopes.

I'm thinking of a trip to North Carolina because of the lower elevation. My son had a terrible experience with altitude sickness when he attempted skiing A-Basin (his first time to ski). I know A-basin is extremely high, but I'm not sure just how low in elevation he would have to go to not experience what he had.

Any suggestions for good areas to look that might also offer some shops/restaurants closeby?

Kim

I don't know about NC, but I am originally from PA and the Poconos have some good skiing, such as Jack Frost and Big Boulder. There are restaurants and shops nearby.

 

[kaguilbeau]

Thanks for the reply. I'm from Louisiana and just thought driving to NC would be closer.

Apparently no one has skiied in NC.

 

[ScubaMickey]

Have any of you gone snow skiing in North Carolina?

I've only been once to Breckenridge and enjoyed the close proximity of shops/restaurants to the lodging. DH liked the closeness of the ski slopes.

I'm thinking of a trip to North Carolina because of the lower elevation. My son had a terrible experience with altitude sickness when he attempted skiing A-Basin (his first time to ski). I know A-basin is extremely high, but I'm not sure just how low in elevation he would have to go to not experience what he had.

Any suggestions for good areas to look that might also offer some shops/restaurants closeby?

Kim

Hello:

I was just visiting the camping thread and noticed your post. We are from Florida and it is an easy commute to NC. However, we also enjoy skiing in Colorado and just returned from Crested Butte.

We have skiied Beach Mountain, Sugar, and Hawksnest. The elevations are much lower than Colorado. The ski hills are smaller and the snow conditions are more like ice. The lifts are not the highest standard either. All the hills have lodges, but NOTHING like Breckenridge. I would consider the NC hills local hills and not destination hills like in Colorado, Utah, New England, etc. where there are lodges, shopping, dining, hotels, bars, etc. right at the base of the hill or on the hill itself. Crested Butte had an ice bar midway serving French food.

I am a Florida native and learned to ski as an adult. Picture NC with a bunch of people from Florida learning to ski on a small hill, with ice, and older style lifts.

I know many people love to go to NC, but I would rather spend the extra time and money to travel out west.

Have a great time skiing,

ScubaMickey

 

[kaguilbeau]

Hello:

I was just visiting the camping thread and noticed your post. We are from Florida and it is an easy commute to NC. However, we also enjoy skiing in Colorado and just returned from Crested Butte.

We have skiied Beach Mountain, Sugar, and Hawksnest. The elevations are much lower than Colorado. The ski hills are smaller and the snow conditions are more like ice. The lifts are not the highest standard either. All the hills have lodges, but NOTHING like Breckenridge. I would consider the NC hills local hills and not destination hills like in Colorado, Utah, New England, etc. where there are lodges, shopping, dining, hotels, bars, etc. right at the base of the hill or on the hill itself. Crested Butte had an ice bar midway serving French food.

I am a Florida native and learned to ski as an adult. Picture NC with a bunch of people from Florida learning to ski on a small hill, with ice, and older style lifts.

I know many people love to go to NC, but I would rather spend the extra time and money to travel out west.

Have a great time skiing,

ScubaMickey

Thank you. I, too, would prefer to visit Colorado. My son & I went to A-Basin for some late spring skiing (he was snowboarding with my cousin while I visited the mountaintop lounge) and ski patrol had to come find me. We later visited an emergency clinic because he was so ill.

Maybe I need to see what kind of lower altitude skiing Colorado has.

Thank you again for your opinions.

 

[we3peas]

I agree with ScubaMickey. I learned to ski in Jay, VT and then skied in Stowe, Snowshoe, WV, and then taught my husband to ski at Sugar, NC. To that point I had never skied out west. My first trip was to Breckenridge/Keystone, CO. After that trip we have never skied in the east again.

There are ways to beat altitude sickness. Google it and make sure you stay hydrated which is the big key. Being from FL we prepare before we go with drinking more water than normal. Bring aspirin for the headache, and I have also found having humidifiers going all the time in the condo works great. Stop and rest after skiing about every two hours and drink more water then.

The east is just too icy and thin coverage of snow most years. Go west and enjoy.

 

[des1954]

Who cares about skiing in NC? I'm more concerned with water skiing at Fort Wilderness!!!

 

[KimIce]

Who cares about skiing in NC? I'm more concerned with water skiing at Fort Wilderness!!!

Now that would be awesome!!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Have any of you gone snow skiing in North Carolina?
Kim

Not me,,,too cold.

 

[disney4dan]

Just putting in my vote for skiing in New England. As the other poster said, some good deals can be had, great powder conditions sometimes (not as good as Jackson Hole area), and no altitude sickness. The mountains out here have tried to fill in that resort style mentality with some good spa options, shops, condos and great hotels where you can ski out your door to the lift.

Of course, I can't afford them often, but here is a photo from Stowe in Vermont:

Great spring skiing that day (mid-March), but lift tickets were $78 each!

 

[DaddyDon]

Have to agree The times i have went to beach and sugar mountain in NC it ws nothing more than ice....and boy does it hurt when you fallI carried those bruises for a while.